Realm Runners

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Perils of the Labyrinth

10

DEC/11

The party awakes early the next morning when Rendil knocks on their doors to deliver his aunt Erra’s famous breakfast, Kruthik Eggs and Labyrinth Links. After eating, they head off in search of the location marked on the map they received from Charrak the previous night.

Upon arriving, the passage opens into a larger cavern with a raised ledge to one side and three large boulders. Megilwath points out that it can only be an ambush, and he and Aces move into the room. Taking in their surroundings the two notice what appears to be a Bronze Minotaur hiding unsuccessfully, behind one of the boulders. At that moment, two tieflings who were hidden upon the upper ledge spring up and begin attacking the Mul and Drow. The Bronze Warder rushes out from his hiding spot and slams into another boulder wedging it into the passageway mostly blocking the exit. Knowing heir friends are in trouble, Krushi, Mentathenis and the Maven attempt to push the boulder out of the way but its a little too large for them to budge further than a foot or two. It’s enough for Mentathenis to Fey Step to the other side and Krushi and the Maven climb their way over through a two foot gap between the top of the boulder and the passage ceiling.

Megilwath manages to make his way up to the raised ledge to harass the two tieflings while the Bronze Warder continues to plow over and cleave the rest of the party. Once the two tieflings are killed off, they all focus on the Warder. Krushi is particularly effective against the construct with her Lightning piercing, and after a few thunderous attacks and bolts, the Bronze Minotaur is shut down.

Searching the bodies of the tieflings, Mentathenis uncovers two letters and an amulet of command. One of the letters is a message from the missing mage Paldemar to the two henchmen telling them to do away with the adventurers quickly. The other is a message addressed to Maldrick Scarmaker of the Blackfang Gnolls. It is an offering of the corpses of the party to the Gnoll Chieftan.

Aces pushes the boulder out of the way far enough for the party to rejoin with Modreg and Terrlen, and they all continue on towards the Well of Demons. Terrlen leads the party on a short cut that takes them down into the cisterns again. As they round a bend near one of the underground pools, a pack of Kruthiks comes swarming towards them.

Aces immediately rushes forward with Megilwath to attempt a bottleneck between two large rocky crags. The Hive Lord moves up to the two and spews acid all over, which splashes past them hitting Krushi and the Maven as well. The five Kruthik adults move forward and burrow under the two on the front line. Everyone begins unleashing attacks on the Hive Lord, when the adults reemerge in the middle of the party. They slash at the halfling, elf, mul and drow. Mentathenis manages to stay away from the slicing claws. Again the Hive lord emits a blast of acid all over the party. The adults manage to split the party even more, ripping at Krushi and the Maven pushing them back. After more acid and clawing the Maven falls unconscious, but is revived by the help of Krushi and Megilwath. Mentathenis is pushed back by two Kruthiks and chased down relentlessly until he falls unconscious. Modreg is able to administer a potion of healing to the eladrin reviving him. Krushi gets chased down as well, and knocked unconscious by a hungry adult. Mentathenis attempts to attack two Kruthik Adults on Aces, and draws their attention back to him. They burrow away from Aces and emerge to rip into and lay out Mentathenis a second time. Megilwath makes his way to Krushi and stabilizes her then manages to give her some bandaging. Aces finishes off the Hive Lord and turns her attention toward the adults. The Maven rushes over to help Mentathenis and is able to get him up, but he makes the mistake of attempting to crawl away, and once again the Kruthiks give chase. They slash into him and the Eladrin perishes. One of the Kruthiks immediately begins consuming the body. The Maven runs back around to the other side of the crags to avoid the carnage and help Aces and Megilwath. Krushi flings volleys of her lightning and thunder into the reptilian creatures, and the Mul and Drow work together to slowly pick off the rest including the one eating Mentathenis’ corpse.

When the battle is done, they gather what’s left of the eladrin and the Kruthik’s carapaces and rush back to the Temple of Hidden Light in the Seven Pilared Hall. The priestess Phaledra greets them and tells them she can bring their friend back from the dead for the price of 500 gold. They agree and she begins the Raise Dead ritual.

In the fog of death, Mentathenis can make out the image of his father Kallorel Starfeon, who looks as though he is lost, even more so than usual. His eyes are vacant and staring through his son’s soul. His image wisps away to be replaced by the image of another Eladrin. This one female with shining silver hair and crystal blue eyes. she turns towards Mentathenis as if alerted that he is in danger.

When Mentathenis awakes, he talks about his visions with Phaledra and as the fog thins, he realizes that the woman is a cohort and old friend of his father. Her eladrin name is Saranine Lunathalia, but her true name is Saranathia, The Radiant Dawn. She is not actually an eladrin at all but a venerable silver dragon. Krushi and Megilwath wait patiently while Mentathenis ponders these visions, then they help him up and head to the Halfmoon Inn.

Aces, Modreg and Terrlen visit Gendar to give him the Kruthik carapaces, and he is shocked that they came through for him so quickly. He offers the team another job going after a tarnished silver crown that an insane dwarf of the labyrith named Thain Cardanas, carries on his person.

The mul agrees and the three also head back to the inn to recover and fight another day.